These cookies are a tribute to the Garibaldi biscuit I used to eat in the 1970s. This is one of the few store-bought cookies I remember having at home. I think my folks—who never had sugar in the house—made an exception for this raisin-crammed cracker-like cookie. The sweetness of the raisins and the tenderness of the whole-wheat dough was such a satisfying snack.
I hadn’t seen these on the market for decades, which is a real shame, so a while ago, I decided to make my own. When I pulled them out of the oven, the fond memories of munching on them at the kitchen table came flooding back, and they were even better than I remembered. Make sure to roll the dough to be as thin as possible so they have a cracker-like snap to them. The classic Garibaldi was made with raisins, but you can use chopped dried apricots, cherries, or craisins if you’re not a fan of dried grapes.
Ingredients
- 1/2 batch graham cracker dough
- Egg wash (1 egg lightly beaten with 1 tsp water) for brushing dough, inside and out
- 1 cup 140g chopped raisins or other dried fruit
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, using a rolling pin, roll the graham cracker dough out to a rectangle 9 by 11 inches / 23 by 28cm and about 1/8 inch / 3mm thick. Brush it lightly with the egg wash. Spread the chopped raisins over half the length of the dough. Fold the other half of the dough over the raisins. Roll the raisin-filled dough to be as thin as possible, trying to get it back to the 9 by 11-inch / 23 by 28cm rectangle. Some of the raisins will poke through the dough.
- Cut the dough using a pizza cutter down the center lengthwise. Then cut into six equal sections along the width, to create twelve rectangles.
- Arrange the pieces evenly on the prepared baking sheet so they have room to expand slightly. Brush with more egg wash.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.
- Allow to cool completely before enjoying.
I cannot wait to make these. There cookies were a favorite of ours as well. I did not usually buy store cookies (I made our own cookies) but these were an exception. I recently found them on Amazon sold under the name Crawford’s Garibaldi biscuits. They’re made with currants. I much prefer making our own food so I’m happy to have this recipe.